New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1887-06-29
Value of the Catalpa.

Value of the Catalpa.
The catalpa, says Prof. Sargent, long
known and generally planted as an or
namental tree. has of late years begun
to attract considerable attention as
offering peculiar advantages for econo-
mic planting. The wonderful durabil-
lty OF the wood of this tree, long ago
pointed out by Gen. Harrison. but I'M
til lately imperfectlY understood, its
rapid growth in good soil, and freedom
from attacks of insects, make the ca
talpa most promising subject for gen
eral planting in rich, strong soil in any
portion Of the United States south of
the forty-second parallel. Further
north it often suffers in severe winters,
especially when young, and in the New
England states. except in exceptional
situations, the soil is not rich enough
to make the plantain of this tree as
profitable as that of many others. better
suited to reach maturity in that section
OF the country.
The wood Of the catalpa is soft, light,
closegrained and susceptible of good
polish. In general appearance it close
ly resembles chestnut. but, unlike that
wood, it is easily .'filled,' and shows
none Of the tendency to warp or start
which renders chestnut unfit for the
best cabinet work. Should the wood
OF the catalpa ever reach the market in
quantity, it will rank with butternut
for cabinet and architectural work, and
will make valuable addition to the
hardwoods now SO freely employed in
interior decorations. It lis, however for
railway ties, fence and telegraph post,
hop and vineyard poles, and such pur-
poses that the wood of the catalpa is
particularly adapted, and it is for these
and similar employments. where
wood capable of resisting decay when
exposed to tue soil and weather is re-
quircd, that catalpa will probably be
more proftably employed than the
wood of any other tree suitable for Gull
tivation over SO large an area of the
United States.
Why the soft wood of this fast-grow-
ing tree, which is traversed with large
open ducts, nearly as broad as those of
red oak-a wood which VIGOROUSLY rots
very quicl1ly-should resist decay long
er than almost any other of which we
have any knowledge, is not clear.
Many other similar instances of it's
power to resist decay are recorded. An
other popularity of the catalpa is it's
small amount OF sap-wood or living It's
sue, SO that, unlike the red cedar and
other oxogenous trees, in which the
soft and worthless sap-wood turns by
death into durable heart wood only at
the end of many years of growth, the
catalpa produces heart-wood when
the stem is scarcely one inch in dame
ter. For this reason the catalpa has
not an equal for fence-posts and differ
ent sorts Of small stakes. for which, if
other woods are used, many years. of
growth must be sacrificed in order to
AVOID the rotting away of the outer and
living layers, which have, no power to
resist decay.
The few experiments which have been
made with catalpa wood for railroad
ties seem to promise that it will be of no
value for this purpose, although such
experiments are neither frequent
enough nor of sut1iciently long duration
to be entirely conclusive and it is evil
dent that longer test than it has been
subjected to is necessary to demonstrate
that the wood has the power to resist the
crushing of the rails and to hold spikes
equally well or better than chestnut
Oh white oak, which, all things cons der
ed. are the best North American woods
yet extensively employed for this pur-
pose. 1t is but fair to say, however.
that many practical railway men OF ex-
cellent judgement, who are carefully
watching in the west the catalpa ties
speak with great coincidence OF their.
value. and already very large ex-.
detrimental plantations of this
tree are being made in eastern
Kansas by railroad directors of that
state, with a view of rising their. own
ties in the future The catalpa would
seem. then, to be one of the most valu-
able trees which our cultiyators,.t suit
ably situated, can plant. It grows
readily and rapidly from seed. and can
be very easily transplanted either in
the spring OF autumn. Ifplanted thick
ly-saE four feet between the plants
each way-they will run up with tall
straight stems. and make trees very
different in appearance from the short
Stoned. round headed, and rather dis
torted- looking specimens which are
met with in ornamental grounds,
especially in the northern states. The
thinning of a grove of catalpa, if plant
ed in good soil. will in a few years be
large enough for vineyard stakes, in a
dozen years the alternate plants will